Congress likely to bow down before Bukhari, says BJP

Lucknow ,
Sat, 28 Jan 2012ANI

Lucknow, Jan 28 (ANI): Leader of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said that ruling Congress party was likely to bow down before head Muslim cleric, Maulana Syed Ahmed Bukhari, after he criticised it for the miserable condition of Muslims in the country.

Bukhari had earlier rejected the Congress Party's proposal to provide a sub-quota of 4.5 percent to Muslims, adding that reservation must be done on the basis of population.

"You will shortly see that Congress will also bow down before Bukhari or Al-Qaeda or SIMI or some other outfit and this would continue during the polls, but the BJP is definitely concerned about the progress and security of all sections of society and we will not let Uttar Pradesh or the entire nation face any kind of militant activities," said Naqvi.

Naqvi added that the BJP has always been sensitive to the needs of all sections of society, including Muslims.

Samajwadi Party, Mulayam Singh had recently written a letter to Bukhari accusing the Congress of having failed the minorities. The move is seen as an attempt to garner the 18 percent Muslim vote base in UP.

He promised to grant Muslims reservation in education and employment. He wrote that if his party came to power he would implement reservation for Muslims on the lines of Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. "I will try to give them reservation to the extent nobody has provided so far as soon as my party comes to power," he said.

BJP has opposed the 4.5 percent reservation for the minorities within the OBC quota by arguing that the move will not only divide the state on communal lines but also widen the divide among the OBCs. (ANI)